http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsand...tour-de-france

Although Africans have been competing at world-class levels for decades in distance running, poor roads and the high cost of racing bicycles were barriers to the sport of cycling. And there was a social stigma to riding a bicycle as well. "There is a perception in Africa that if you own a bike it means you're too poor to own a car," says Douglas Ryder, the founder of MTN-Qhubeka. "So you'd rather walk."